Oct 13 2010
Wednesday night, Marcy Playground rocked the Rainbow Room and performed for a sold-out crowd.
Opening for Marcy Playground were Stone Vaughn Toole, a three-piece funk-rock band from Ladysmith.
Marcy Playground started their set with Devil Woman and the crowd energy soared. The band brought their A-game and the crowd reciprocated with lots of energy.
Some of the songs that Marcy Playground performed were Rock and Roll Heroes,
Punk Rock Superstar, Deadly Handsome Man, Saturday, I Saw Stars, Sex and Candy and Star Baby.
At one point, John "Woz" Wozniak encouraged their tour manager to do his impression of Lord of the Rings' Gollum, which was received well by the crowd. Marcy Playground also did some awesome instrumental jamming throughout their set.
Although the crowd was energetic throughout Marcy Playground's set, the highlight was when they performed Sex and Candy. During which, the audience was invited to sing along with the band for the chorus and many people were on the stage with the band and on the dance floor.
My favourites were Vampires of New York, Deadly Handsome Man and Sex and
Candy.
Marcy Playground came back and performed four encores, including a beautiful
rendition of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. Port Alberni's own Lance LaPointe stood in for Dylan Keefe, the band's bassist, during Hallelujah and sang backing vocals as well. Marcy Playground's front man, Woz, ended the night by performing their song Memphis by himself.
Marcy Playground is touring to promote their 2009 album Leaving Wonderland... In a Fit of Rage and their latest album, released at the end of September, Indaba Remixes from Wonderland. They are currently on the Alberta stretch of their tour, and judging by their performance in Port Alberni, they are worth checking out next time they come to the Island.
To learn more about Marcy Playground, check out their website at www.marcyplayground.com.
Monday, 16 May 2011
Wild Heather alive with music
Aug 27 2010
On Sunday night, Wild Heather Bookstore was the place to be in Ucluelet for acoustic folk fans.
Zaac Pick performed for an intimate crowd, and he mesmerized everyone.
Opening for Zaac Pick was Joshua Hyslop. Hyslop's set was mellow, and it displayed his melodious voice. The songs that Hyslop performed included Who Am I?, Little Sparrow, I Wish I Was and Cold Wind. Hyslop ended his set with
his rendition of Elton John's Rocket Man, which contrasted splendidly with his original, relaxed songs.
Pick started his set with a serene song entitled Bad Dream, featuring a fantastic harmonica solo. He performed Summer Moon second, featuring a whistled solo. However, on his EP, the solo was recorded on a slide guitar.
Pick played each of the compositions on his EP entitled Fierce Wind, including some new ones.
With each song, it became evident that Pick is a brilliant songwriter, as each of the songs he played had such an honest conviction to them. My favourites were Foot of Pride and My Century. Both of these songs reveal fantastic, heart-wrenching lyrics.
The night's highlights included Hyslop's performance of Who Am I? and his cover of Elton John's Rocket Man. Others included Pick's performance of Drifters and Maybelline, an upbeat, audience-participation song about travelling when you are tired of your current location.
Pick ended the night with a beautiful song Drifters, and he sang his heart out. To learn more about either of these fantastic musicians check out their
Myspace pages, www.myspace.com/theroadlesstravelledmusic,
www.myspace.com/zaacpick.
On Sunday night, Wild Heather Bookstore was the place to be in Ucluelet for acoustic folk fans.
Zaac Pick performed for an intimate crowd, and he mesmerized everyone.
Opening for Zaac Pick was Joshua Hyslop. Hyslop's set was mellow, and it displayed his melodious voice. The songs that Hyslop performed included Who Am I?, Little Sparrow, I Wish I Was and Cold Wind. Hyslop ended his set with
his rendition of Elton John's Rocket Man, which contrasted splendidly with his original, relaxed songs.
Pick started his set with a serene song entitled Bad Dream, featuring a fantastic harmonica solo. He performed Summer Moon second, featuring a whistled solo. However, on his EP, the solo was recorded on a slide guitar.
Pick played each of the compositions on his EP entitled Fierce Wind, including some new ones.
With each song, it became evident that Pick is a brilliant songwriter, as each of the songs he played had such an honest conviction to them. My favourites were Foot of Pride and My Century. Both of these songs reveal fantastic, heart-wrenching lyrics.
The night's highlights included Hyslop's performance of Who Am I? and his cover of Elton John's Rocket Man. Others included Pick's performance of Drifters and Maybelline, an upbeat, audience-participation song about travelling when you are tired of your current location.
Pick ended the night with a beautiful song Drifters, and he sang his heart out. To learn more about either of these fantastic musicians check out their
Myspace pages, www.myspace.com/theroadlesstravelledmusic,
www.myspace.com/zaacpick.
My Broken Hero returns to hometown
Jul 16 2010
On Sunday night, My Broken Hero performed at The Academy with guests Prom
Night in Black and White, On Call Heroes and local band The Moonstones.
Sunday night was the first show My Broken Hero has played in Port Alberni in
a year, and the crowd was wild.
Although each of the bands were stellar, it was clear which group the crowd came to see. It seemed as though there was a surge of energy when My Broken Hero took the stage.
Lead vocalist, Dustin Dame told the crowd at one point that he had lost his voice a few nights prior to the show and requested vocal support from the crowd. However, he managed to surprise us all with how well he sang. The whole band, including a special appearance by guitarist Tim Keizer, brought their A-game. The crowd reciprocated their passion by moshing and singing along whole-heartedly.
My Broken Hero played songs from their EP, Moving On, and from Man of Science, Man of Faith. Some of the songs included were Fistful of Lightning, You Could Be Alive, Never Tell Me The Odds, The Astronaut and Colours.
As My Broken Hero were drawing to a close, the band tried to figure out which song they would play next as the audience begged for their song Sharks.
Dustin said that Sharks required too much energy, and he was not sure if his voice could sustain it. He promised to perform it at their next show in September.
Much to the crowd's pleasure, the band performed Sharks and Dustin sang amazingly.
Crowd favourites were Caledonia, The Astronaut, Men of Science, Sharks and Fistful of Lightning.
For more information on upcoming shows at The Academy, find it on Facebook
or go to the Myspace page www.myspace.com/theacademypa, to listen to the music of My Broken Hero check out their Myspace page www.myspace.com/mybrokenhero.
On Sunday night, My Broken Hero performed at The Academy with guests Prom
Night in Black and White, On Call Heroes and local band The Moonstones.
Sunday night was the first show My Broken Hero has played in Port Alberni in
a year, and the crowd was wild.
Although each of the bands were stellar, it was clear which group the crowd came to see. It seemed as though there was a surge of energy when My Broken Hero took the stage.
Lead vocalist, Dustin Dame told the crowd at one point that he had lost his voice a few nights prior to the show and requested vocal support from the crowd. However, he managed to surprise us all with how well he sang. The whole band, including a special appearance by guitarist Tim Keizer, brought their A-game. The crowd reciprocated their passion by moshing and singing along whole-heartedly.
My Broken Hero played songs from their EP, Moving On, and from Man of Science, Man of Faith. Some of the songs included were Fistful of Lightning, You Could Be Alive, Never Tell Me The Odds, The Astronaut and Colours.
As My Broken Hero were drawing to a close, the band tried to figure out which song they would play next as the audience begged for their song Sharks.
Dustin said that Sharks required too much energy, and he was not sure if his voice could sustain it. He promised to perform it at their next show in September.
Much to the crowd's pleasure, the band performed Sharks and Dustin sang amazingly.
Crowd favourites were Caledonia, The Astronaut, Men of Science, Sharks and Fistful of Lightning.
For more information on upcoming shows at The Academy, find it on Facebook
or go to the Myspace page www.myspace.com/theacademypa, to listen to the music of My Broken Hero check out their Myspace page www.myspace.com/mybrokenhero.
Laughs were handed out at Rainbow Room
Jul 16 2010
Last Friday night, Candy Bar @ The Rainbow Room had a comedy night featuring
Brandon James Mason.
It was a night of laughs, which began with open mic. Mason performed for an intimate audience. However, it was unfortunate that the audience did not really seem as lively as Mason deserved.
People really missed out on a real opportunity to take in Mason's sometimes crude, but always hilarious, comedy. The hilarity was not always in the words that Mason spoke, but rather in his timing.
"[My favourite part of my routine] is when people are laughing days afterward, when they see what I was talking about," Mason said. "Like, they laugh at the show or whatever, but it's not really as funny as it will be in a couple of days when it actually happens to them or when they see something that I joke about and go, 'oh my god.'"
Mason joked about the "inventions" that you make when you're high only to find out in the end that they're already invented. "Okay, what if when you're hot and you don't want to wear pants, you could wear like...butt pants?" Brandon mused.
He also joked with a woman in the front row about age. He said that he had once felt racist when he saw an Asian man rear-end another Asian man. The most off-hand joke, however, was one about sponsoring a child through World Vision. He told us that he was encouraged to send pictures and letters to his sponsor child, and "every night at dinner time he took a picture of [his] dinner and sent it to the child... no, of breakfast because it's the most important meal of the day." He then added that he had told the joke not for laughs but to create a sunken feeling in people's stomachs.
Mason ended his set with a joke about having "the talk" with his girlfriend, "as everyone will," about how many people each of them has slept with and the dilemma between whether you lie about the number, or if you really lie. He and his girlfriend at the time had wrote down each of their totals, he had found out that he was "lucky number seven." She was revolted, to say the least, when she found out that she was number 16. The pun being that he had realized she had read his number upside down.
"My words of inspiration for aspiring comedians would be to just keep playing shows, no matter what, whether the audience is dry or if you have a roaring crowd. Try the same material because different crowds react differently," he added.
Sitting in the audience, I couldn't help but laugh at all of Mason's jokes. Although they were crude, it truly was observational humour of everyday things that people sometimes choose to ignore.
The crowd favourites included the anecdotes of high inventions, pocket dialling and the talk.
Mason will be MCing at Charlie Murphy's comedy show at the Port Theatre in
Nanaimo on Sept. 17. To learn more about Brandon James Mason, go to his
Myspace page www.myspace.com/growupbrandon or look for his channel on
Youtube entitled GrowUpBrandon.
Last Friday night, Candy Bar @ The Rainbow Room had a comedy night featuring
Brandon James Mason.
It was a night of laughs, which began with open mic. Mason performed for an intimate audience. However, it was unfortunate that the audience did not really seem as lively as Mason deserved.
People really missed out on a real opportunity to take in Mason's sometimes crude, but always hilarious, comedy. The hilarity was not always in the words that Mason spoke, but rather in his timing.
"[My favourite part of my routine] is when people are laughing days afterward, when they see what I was talking about," Mason said. "Like, they laugh at the show or whatever, but it's not really as funny as it will be in a couple of days when it actually happens to them or when they see something that I joke about and go, 'oh my god.'"
Mason joked about the "inventions" that you make when you're high only to find out in the end that they're already invented. "Okay, what if when you're hot and you don't want to wear pants, you could wear like...butt pants?" Brandon mused.
He also joked with a woman in the front row about age. He said that he had once felt racist when he saw an Asian man rear-end another Asian man. The most off-hand joke, however, was one about sponsoring a child through World Vision. He told us that he was encouraged to send pictures and letters to his sponsor child, and "every night at dinner time he took a picture of [his] dinner and sent it to the child... no, of breakfast because it's the most important meal of the day." He then added that he had told the joke not for laughs but to create a sunken feeling in people's stomachs.
Mason ended his set with a joke about having "the talk" with his girlfriend, "as everyone will," about how many people each of them has slept with and the dilemma between whether you lie about the number, or if you really lie. He and his girlfriend at the time had wrote down each of their totals, he had found out that he was "lucky number seven." She was revolted, to say the least, when she found out that she was number 16. The pun being that he had realized she had read his number upside down.
"My words of inspiration for aspiring comedians would be to just keep playing shows, no matter what, whether the audience is dry or if you have a roaring crowd. Try the same material because different crowds react differently," he added.
Sitting in the audience, I couldn't help but laugh at all of Mason's jokes. Although they were crude, it truly was observational humour of everyday things that people sometimes choose to ignore.
The crowd favourites included the anecdotes of high inventions, pocket dialling and the talk.
Mason will be MCing at Charlie Murphy's comedy show at the Port Theatre in
Nanaimo on Sept. 17. To learn more about Brandon James Mason, go to his
Myspace page www.myspace.com/growupbrandon or look for his channel on
Youtube entitled GrowUpBrandon.
My Broken Hero make its return
Jul 9 2010
My Broken Hero are back in their beloved hometown and will perform at The Academy on Sunday night.
They'll be joined by Victoria's On Call Heroes, local rockers The Moonstones (formerly Rockwell) and Saskatoon's Prom Night in Black and White.
"We are very, very excited to play in Port again. It's our hometown and there's nowhere we love to play more than for our own family and friends," said lead vocalist Dustin Dame. "Without the support of the people of this city, we would never have been able to accomplish the things we did and so performing for those people is an honour."
In 2004, a group of five young men embarked on an epic and unexpected journey into the wilds of a vibrant Western Canadian music scene. The band emerged from a humble beginning, jamming in a church basement for a small group of friends at a local youth group. Without any intentions of becoming anything more, they soon found themselves playing more and more often for an unexpected and fast-growing fanbase. It wasn't long before My Broken Hero was performing for audiences all across Western Canada.
Perhaps it was this humble and unassuming beginning that lent a certain honesty and integrity to their music that seemed to strike a chord with people. Or maybe it was the colourful combination of driving aggression, soaring ambiance and whispered fragility, woven seamlessly throughout their songs. Or it could have been their consistently explosive and energetic live show that elicited such a reaction. Whatever the reason, their music left
its mark on people of all ages and walks of life.
For the next five years, they set out with a purpose - to create and perform
music that would bring light and hope to people's lives. Booking their own
tours, they hit the road in a beat up old van, armed with nothing more than
determination, a solid work-ethic and a love for music and for people. Night
after night, tour after tour, they bared their souls on stages in the cities
and small-towns of Western Canada, and it wasn't long before they were
hearing word of their music being heard all over the world.
Over the past six years, they have played hundreds of shows and have shared
the stage with just as many talented musicians, including Ten Second Epic,
Thousand Foot Krutch, Gob, Needtobreathe, Secret & Whisper, Stereos, We Are
The City, A Textbook Tragedy, Theory of a Deadman, Theset and Maurice, to
name a few. With fans worldwide and CD sales numbering in the thousands, My
Broken Hero has made their mark in the competitive world of music, while
still managing the seemingly impossible task of remaining true to themselves
and the music that they want to create. After almost a year on hiatus, My
Broken Hero is poised to return with a vengeance.
"We get feedback from people all over the world who tell us how much they
love our music and what it means to them, and we don't even know how they
heard about us," Dame said. "So we may not have the biggest fanbase, but the
fans we do have are amazingly passionate about our music. There are cities
that we've played in where we feel like absolute celebrities due to the
overwhelming response we get. And then other places, we're just another
band, so its kind of funny how it works out like that."
My Broken Hero will play at The Academy, 5350 Margaret St. on Sunday, July
11. Doors at 6:30 p.m., show at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door. This is
an all-ages show, no drugs or alcohol permitted.
To check out this My Broken Hero's music, go to their Myspace page
www.myspace.com/mybrokenhero
My Broken Hero are back in their beloved hometown and will perform at The Academy on Sunday night.
They'll be joined by Victoria's On Call Heroes, local rockers The Moonstones (formerly Rockwell) and Saskatoon's Prom Night in Black and White.
"We are very, very excited to play in Port again. It's our hometown and there's nowhere we love to play more than for our own family and friends," said lead vocalist Dustin Dame. "Without the support of the people of this city, we would never have been able to accomplish the things we did and so performing for those people is an honour."
In 2004, a group of five young men embarked on an epic and unexpected journey into the wilds of a vibrant Western Canadian music scene. The band emerged from a humble beginning, jamming in a church basement for a small group of friends at a local youth group. Without any intentions of becoming anything more, they soon found themselves playing more and more often for an unexpected and fast-growing fanbase. It wasn't long before My Broken Hero was performing for audiences all across Western Canada.
Perhaps it was this humble and unassuming beginning that lent a certain honesty and integrity to their music that seemed to strike a chord with people. Or maybe it was the colourful combination of driving aggression, soaring ambiance and whispered fragility, woven seamlessly throughout their songs. Or it could have been their consistently explosive and energetic live show that elicited such a reaction. Whatever the reason, their music left
its mark on people of all ages and walks of life.
For the next five years, they set out with a purpose - to create and perform
music that would bring light and hope to people's lives. Booking their own
tours, they hit the road in a beat up old van, armed with nothing more than
determination, a solid work-ethic and a love for music and for people. Night
after night, tour after tour, they bared their souls on stages in the cities
and small-towns of Western Canada, and it wasn't long before they were
hearing word of their music being heard all over the world.
Over the past six years, they have played hundreds of shows and have shared
the stage with just as many talented musicians, including Ten Second Epic,
Thousand Foot Krutch, Gob, Needtobreathe, Secret & Whisper, Stereos, We Are
The City, A Textbook Tragedy, Theory of a Deadman, Theset and Maurice, to
name a few. With fans worldwide and CD sales numbering in the thousands, My
Broken Hero has made their mark in the competitive world of music, while
still managing the seemingly impossible task of remaining true to themselves
and the music that they want to create. After almost a year on hiatus, My
Broken Hero is poised to return with a vengeance.
"We get feedback from people all over the world who tell us how much they
love our music and what it means to them, and we don't even know how they
heard about us," Dame said. "So we may not have the biggest fanbase, but the
fans we do have are amazingly passionate about our music. There are cities
that we've played in where we feel like absolute celebrities due to the
overwhelming response we get. And then other places, we're just another
band, so its kind of funny how it works out like that."
My Broken Hero will play at The Academy, 5350 Margaret St. on Sunday, July
11. Doors at 6:30 p.m., show at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door. This is
an all-ages show, no drugs or alcohol permitted.
To check out this My Broken Hero's music, go to their Myspace page
www.myspace.com/mybrokenhero
Show a real crowd-pleaser
June 25 2010
Last Saturday night, blues musician and songwriter David Essig performed for an intimate audience at the Capitol Theatre.
Essig started the first set with his song entitled Rebel Flag, and immediately, the audience was drawn in, not only by his powerful voice but also by his fantastic technique on the slide guitar.
Essig's roots are in bluegrass and country blues, but his own music is an original fusion of bluegrass, country blues, avant-garde and contemporary folk.
Some of the brilliantly crafted songs that Essig's set list included were Tremble and Weep, Fair Days, Walk Back Into Town, Woman in the Snow, Cross to Bear and Charity Begins at Home.
Throughout the performance, Essig shared brief yet humorous secrets about guitar tuning and musicianship along with a back-story to each of the songs he performed.
At one point, Essig interlaced four of his songs and took the audience on an imaginary bus ride. He sang of the people we would meet and the places we would go. These songs worked as what Essig calls miniature portraits, and they were quite beautiful.
Essig ended the second set with One More Song and received a standing ovation.
He returned to the stage for an encore and performed a cover of his favourite song entitled Are You Tired of Me?
To learn more about David Essig, go to his website at www.davidessig.com.
Last Saturday night, blues musician and songwriter David Essig performed for an intimate audience at the Capitol Theatre.
Essig started the first set with his song entitled Rebel Flag, and immediately, the audience was drawn in, not only by his powerful voice but also by his fantastic technique on the slide guitar.
Essig's roots are in bluegrass and country blues, but his own music is an original fusion of bluegrass, country blues, avant-garde and contemporary folk.
Some of the brilliantly crafted songs that Essig's set list included were Tremble and Weep, Fair Days, Walk Back Into Town, Woman in the Snow, Cross to Bear and Charity Begins at Home.
Throughout the performance, Essig shared brief yet humorous secrets about guitar tuning and musicianship along with a back-story to each of the songs he performed.
At one point, Essig interlaced four of his songs and took the audience on an imaginary bus ride. He sang of the people we would meet and the places we would go. These songs worked as what Essig calls miniature portraits, and they were quite beautiful.
Essig ended the second set with One More Song and received a standing ovation.
He returned to the stage for an encore and performed a cover of his favourite song entitled Are You Tired of Me?
To learn more about David Essig, go to his website at www.davidessig.com.
Lazy Mike gets everyone up dancing at Capitol
Jun 8 2010
Last Wednesday night, "Lazy" Mike and the Rockin' Recliners had their Life's Been Pretty Good CD release party at the Capitol Theatre, and it was well received.
Lazy Mike and the Rockin' Recliners started the night with their song entitled Life's Pretty Good These Days. From the beginning of their set, the audience was enthused.
Although it was a CD release party, the Rockin' Recliners performed songs off their previous album and some covers as well. Some of the songs they performed include A/P Clerk, Fall Fair Car, Walkin' the Talk, Two Things, Sell the Farm, Messin' with the Kid, Flip Flop and Fly Sweet Little Angel, and Devil in a Green Silk Dress and their latest album's namesake, Life's Been Pretty Good.
The night was certainly a party as it did not take long for the dance floor to become full. Those who were not on the floor were dancing in their seats. It was hard not to feel moved by the music as the musicians themselves conveyed such passion within their catchy tunes.
The night's highlights included the Rockin' Recliners' performance of Sweet Little Angel, which featured Kyle Gineau with an incredible guitar solo, their cover of Messin' with the Kid and Devil in a Green Silk Dress a song with a sultry Latin American feel to it.
The band ended the night with Humbuggin' Me, featuring Bob "Blue" Berry on vocals and received not only a thunderous applause but also a standing ovation.
To check out the music of this ever-talented band, just flip flop and fly over to their websites at www.lazymikeandtherockinrecliners.com and www.myspace.com/lazymikeandtherockinrecliners.
Last Wednesday night, "Lazy" Mike and the Rockin' Recliners had their Life's Been Pretty Good CD release party at the Capitol Theatre, and it was well received.
Lazy Mike and the Rockin' Recliners started the night with their song entitled Life's Pretty Good These Days. From the beginning of their set, the audience was enthused.
Although it was a CD release party, the Rockin' Recliners performed songs off their previous album and some covers as well. Some of the songs they performed include A/P Clerk, Fall Fair Car, Walkin' the Talk, Two Things, Sell the Farm, Messin' with the Kid, Flip Flop and Fly Sweet Little Angel, and Devil in a Green Silk Dress and their latest album's namesake, Life's Been Pretty Good.
The night was certainly a party as it did not take long for the dance floor to become full. Those who were not on the floor were dancing in their seats. It was hard not to feel moved by the music as the musicians themselves conveyed such passion within their catchy tunes.
The night's highlights included the Rockin' Recliners' performance of Sweet Little Angel, which featured Kyle Gineau with an incredible guitar solo, their cover of Messin' with the Kid and Devil in a Green Silk Dress a song with a sultry Latin American feel to it.
The band ended the night with Humbuggin' Me, featuring Bob "Blue" Berry on vocals and received not only a thunderous applause but also a standing ovation.
To check out the music of this ever-talented band, just flip flop and fly over to their websites at www.lazymikeandtherockinrecliners.com and www.myspace.com/lazymikeandtherockinrecliners.
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